Key-plate for use in the manufacture of tune plates or cylinders.



' No. 7I6,287. Patented Dec. l6, I902. F. SCHIPPERS.

- KEY P LATE FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TUNE PLATES 0R CYLINDERS.

(Application filed Mar. 31. 1902.1

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

UNITED STATES v ATENT I FRANK SCHIPPERS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORTO AMERICAN BELL AND OHIME COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

KEY-PLATE FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TUNE PLATES 0R CYLINDERS.

srnclrlcnrlolvrom in bart of ettersjraea No. 716,287, dated December 16,1902.

Application filed March 31;,19t21 Serial No. 109,730. (No model.)

To albwhom it may concern; Be it known that I, FRANK SOHIPPERS, acitizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, boroughof Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Key- Plates for Use in theManufacture of Tune Plates or Cylinders, of which the following is aspecification sufficient to enable others skilled in the art to whichthe invention appertains to make and use the same.

My-invention relates to means for manufacturing tune plates or cylindersin which pegs, teeth, shoulders, or projections are used to actuatelevers controlling pneumatic, electric, or other mechanism by which themusical notes are sounded. v

The invention consists, essentially, in the use of a grooved plateinwhich the upper edges or faces of the side walls of the grooves aremarked transversely with a time-scale, in combination with a series ofinterchangeable note pegs or teeth, and a series of intervening filletsor spacers fitting into the said grooves, together with means forlocking the said note pegs or teeth and the said fillets in' place inthe plate.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top view of my key-plate,the central portion being broken away; Fig. 2, a transverse section,upon antenlarged scale, the central part being omitted; Fig. 3, alongitudinal section, uponan enlarged scale, part being omitted. Fig. 4is an isometrical view of some of the note-pegs or teeth, enlarged; Fig.5, an enlarged top View of a portion of the plate, the note pegsandfillets beingjomited; Fig. 6, an isometricalview'of a fillet.

A is a plate, preferably of metal, formed with a series of parallel,preferably equidistant, grooves 11 at, extending longitudinally. Theplate is marked transversely with a time-scale B, consisting of a seriesof equidistant parallel lines I) 19,- which cross the, faces a a of theside walls a at? of the grooves a a.

C is an end piece attached rigidly to the right-hand end of the plate Aand extending above the surface thereof. This plate 0 constitutes-thewall or abutment for the ends of the channels a a.

D D are strips secured to the face of the plate A and are of a thicknessequal to the projection of the end piece 0 above said plate A to form acontinuous rectangular surface therewith for the purpose of limiting thethrust of the press used in formingthe matrix, as hereinafter set forth.

E is the left-hand end piece, rigidly secured to the plate A andprovided with a series of clamping-screws e e, coinciding with thegrooves a a.

N N are the note fillets.

When a tune cylinder or plate to be produced is for musical apparatus inwhich no dampers are used, the note-pegs are uniform in size, as shownherein in connection with the plate, which is represented, by way ofillustration, as set for the production of a matrix for a tune plate orcylinder designed to operate a chime-machine in which the notes areproduced by the striking of metallic tubes which are not damped. Where,however, damping mechanism is employed in the musical apparatus to beoperated, I use noteteeth N N, of difierent lengths, corresponding tothe lengths of the notes to be produced, as shown and set forth in myconcurrent application,Serial No. 86,976, filed December 23, 1901.

In preparing the key-plate A for the formation of a matrix I set up thetune from the right-hand side toward the 'left, using the time-scale B bb as a guide and inserting the spacing-fillets F F between the noteteeth or pegs N N, the lines being finally secured with the grooves bymeans of y the clampingscrews 6 e or equivalent mechanical expedients.The plate with the tune-pegs thus set pegs or teeth, and F F the up: andlocked in position is used asadie in the formation of a matrix fromwhich a positive tune plate or cylindercan be reproduced for actual usein the musical'apparatusj for which it is designed, any number desiredof these matrices being formed from the keyplate A, which may then beused for the setting up of other tunes, since the note teeth or pegs andthe spacing-fillets are interchangeable. The matrices are formed bymolding any suitable material upon the portion of the key-plate Withinthe rectangular ridge formed by the end piece 0 and the strips D, thelatter and said end piece, by their projection above the plate A, gagingthe thrust of the press used to force the material against the plate,and thereby protecting the note teeth or pegs against injury andinsuring a matrix of uniform thickness.

By the use of my key-plate a tune plate or cylinder can be made, as setforth in my concurrent application hereinbefore referred to, at a merelynominal cost as compared with the prior state of the art, in whichnote-pins were inserted rigidly and permanently in a plate which couldnot again be used for other tunes. In other Words, the labor and cost ofremoving and rearranging the note-pegs under the old system would begreater than that involved in making an entirely new plate, so thatpractically the plate after use was of no value, whereas by my inventionthe same plate, note teeth or pegs, and spacing-fillets may be usedindefinitely for the production of any number of tunes or combinationsthereof. Furthermore, the saving of time effected in the setting up of atune is of great practical importance, and mistakes in setting the pegscan be rectified without serious inconvenience, Whereas under the oldermethod mistakes could not be rectified.

The time-scale on the faces of the groovewalls is also a feature ofspecial importance, since it not only facilitates the composition of thetune, but also insures accuracy-a result long sought, since every defectis magnified and augmented in the musical apparatus, owing to therelatively slow movement of the tune cylinder or plate.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination of aplate formed with parallel grooves the faces ofthe side walls of which are marked with a time-scale, a series ofinterchangeable note teeth or pegs, a series of interchangeablespacing-fillets and means for locking the note teeth or pegs and thespacing-fillets in the channels for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of a plate formed with equidistant parallel groovesthe faces of the side Walls of which are marked transversely with atimescale, a series of interchangeable note teeth or pegs, a series ofinterchangeable spacing-fillets, and means forlocking the said movableparts within the grooves, for the purpose and substantially in themanner set forth.

3. The combination of a plate formed with parallel grooves the faces ofthe side walls of which are marked with a time-scale, a series ofinterchangeable note teeth or pegs, a series of interchangeablespacing-fillets, means for locking said movable parts within the.grooves, and a raised guard attached to the plate for the purpose ofprotecting the note teeth or pegs against undue pressure substantiallyin the manner and for the purpose described.

FRANK SOHIPPERS. Witnesses:

D. W. GARDNER, F. E. RoAoH.

